


A Rose for Héruminyë

by amyfortuna



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Elvish Jewelcraft, Foreshadowing, Fëanorian Family Bonding, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-14 02:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7994563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyfortuna/pseuds/amyfortuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Celebrimbor and Fëanor collaborate for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Rose for Héruminyë

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zdenka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zdenka/gifts).



> Héruminyë is Memaizaka's OC and is borrowed with permission. Thanks, Memaizaka! :)

"I'm sorry, again," Curufinwë said, handing five-year-old Tyelperinquar over to Fëanáro. "If I could delay this by even a Mingling, I would take him with me, but I'm told the mine will collapse, and they can't figure out how to shore it up." 

"Go, go," Fëanáro said, making a shooing motion with his free hand. "Tyelpë and I will get along very well. It's not been so long since you and the twins were children that I've forgotten how. Go, and good fortune go with you!" 

Curufinwë spun on his heel, took several steps toward the door, then turned back again. "Thank you," he said, relief in his voice. "And you, my son, be good for your grandfather." 

"I will," Tyelperinquar said, glancing up at Fëanáro's face close to his, and then back to his father. 

"Of course he will," Fëanáro said. "Go!" 

Curufinwë nodded and swept out of the room, boots ringing on the polished stone. Fëanáro, Tyelperinquar in his arms, sat down on the sofa, and Tyelperinquar curled up close, relaxed against his shoulder. The house was very still. 

Everyone happened to be busy that day. Nerdanel was off presenting a statue to Olwë and the twins had gone with her, Héruminyë and Macalaurë were preparing for a performance that evening and far too busy to be disturbed, Maitimo and Carnistir were away on a visit to their grandfather, and no one knew where Tyelcormo was - presumably in a forest somewhere. 

"Well, mírenya, it's you and me," Fëanáro said after a moment. "Would you like to learn how to make a ruby?" 

Tyelperinquar lit up. 

\-----

"Stay put for me, just there," Fëanáro said, lifting Tyelperinquar and setting him down on a bench a few feet away from his workstation, elevated so that he could see. Tyelperinquar squirmed a little, getting comfortable. Fëanáro then handed him a small hand crank, which was attached to the base of the workstation by a long reel of braided fireproof leather. Above the base, a wire framework sat, and above that, a suspended burner, as yet unlit. 

Fëanáro stepped into his storeroom for a moment and brought out a vessel containing a metallic powder, nearest in colour to silver. "Do you know what this is, Tyelpë?" 

"Not silver," Tyelperinquar said, setting the hand crank aside for a moment to glance into the bowl. "It comes from Aqua - from Alqua -" 

"From Alqualondë, yes," Fëanáro said, nodding enthusiastically. "And you're right, it's not silver, much as it looks like it. How did you know it wasn't silver?" 

"Untarnished silver is shinier," Tyelperinquar said. "Dad said that there are a lot of things that look like silver but aren't, and there are different ways to test them. Another way would be to hold a magnet to it, maybe?" he ventured. 

"That would work for some things, but this isn't magnetic either," Fëanáro said. "This is is called Ossë's Tears by the people of Alqualondë, since it emerges from under the sea in cold vents. It's a remarkably light metal when worked, and strong, but today we are going to use the oxidised version to make gemstones."

"How did the Teleri find out about it in the first place?" Tyelperinquar asked, peering at the soft silvery powder with interest. 

"Oh, they didn't," Fëanáro said. "We did - your great-grandfather Mahtan was the first to make gemstones using the method I'm about to teach you, though he of course prefers to work with copper. When we helped the Teleri build Alqualondë, we discovered vents of Ossë's Tears flowing out near the harbour, and as thanks for the discovery, we gave the Teleri the first gemstones we made with it."

"That's why!" Tyelperinquar said excitedly. "I always wondered why we scattered gemstones on the beaches. Dad's always complaining about how hard they are to mine and refine, but if you can create them with just a powder, in a pure form, you don't have to refine them, just cut them. And then it's easy to make lots of them, and of course you'd scatter them on the beaches. They must have looked so pretty!" His face shone with enthusiasm, and Fëanáro set down the bowl of powder for a moment and gave him a hug, laughing. 

"I'm sure they did. I never saw them, that was before my time. Oh, but there's a painting in Tirion, in the art gallery, of the white sands of Alqualonde, covered with brightly-coloured jewels, shining pearls, and fairest of all, the people, Noldor and Teleri, dancing in celebration. Someday soon I'll take you there and show it to you."

"I'd love that!" Tyelperinquar clapped his hands several times, eyes dancing. 

"All right, let's get to work!" Fëanáro said, lighting the burner carefully using a torch carried across from the forge fire. "As I sift the powder through the flames, I need you to turn this crank, slowly and steadily, so the raw jewel can form in the shape of a small column." 

Tyelperinquar picked up the crank, adjusting himself so that he could turn it easily. "Just tell me when." 

Fëanáro took a deep breath, and began to sprinkle the powder down. "Now!" 

Several slow minutes later, Tyelperinquar could see the ruby-red colour rising up through the wires that covered the base. It grew on them like ivy on a wall, the heat transforming the dry silvery powder into a bright red stone. "There!" Fëanáro said at last, and Tyelperinquar stopped turning the crank as Fëanáro doused the flame. "We can't touch it just yet, but how pretty is that?" 

"It almost shines, even unpolished," Tyelperinquar said. 

After another few moments, Fëanáro took the jewel off the wire casing, breaking off the rapidly cooling bits that clung to the wires, and laying the ruby itself down to finish cooling. "Now, we're going to cut this soon. What would you like to make - a tiny stone for a ring, a larger one for a necklace?"

"A big one!" Tyelperinquar said, measuring an improbably large shape with his hands. "In the shape of a rose? I want to give it to Mother tonight." 

Fëanáro laughed, delighted. "Very well! A rose for Héruminyë it is! What shall we make the stem from?"

"Gold, of course," Tyelperinquar said. "And emerald leaves?"

"I made some emerald recently," Fëanáro said, dashing over to his storage containers. "Yes, here we go! These are already almost leaf-shape. Well-thought, mírenya!" 

\----

Fëanáro laid the completed rose before Tyelperinquar, and Tyelperinquar looked it up and down as carefully as if he had not been present and assisting at every step in its creation. "Beautiful," he pronounced at last. "Mother will love it." 

"It's our first joint work," Fëanáro said. "The first of many, I'm sure. You have a gift, and you're getting started even younger than I did." He smiled at Tyelperinquar and kissed the top of his head. "Someday you'll surpass me." 

"I don't think so," Tyelperinquar said, shaking his head. "You made it look so easy, but I know it's not."

"That will come with time," Fëanáro said, pressing another kiss to his forehead. "And you will - I want you to! I'll teach you everything I know, and then you'll do things beyond what I can imagine, and on that day, I'll be the proudest grandfather to ever exist." 

"Like you're not already?" The voice was Nerdanel's, and the door closed softly behind her as she slipped into the room. Fëanáro looked up, smiling. 

"Welcome back, love! All well?" 

Tyelperinquar slipped down from his chair with a squeak of joy and ran to hug his grandmother. "All well," she said, gathering him up in her arms. Fëanáro followed, hugging them both happily. 

\----

Héruminyë picked up the last of the flowers that had been flung onto the stage at the close of the performance. She was still half-breathless, her hair and costume no longer quite pristine. Macalaurë set his harp aside and came to help her, laughing. "I remember the time Curvo gave you roses, but forgot to strip the thorns first." 

She shoved the mass of flowers into his arms. "Here! If there's thorns in any of these, you can find them!" 

They were still laughing when the curtain parted briefly, and Tyelperinquar walked up the stairs, holding something behind his back. "Tyelpë, my darling," Héruminyë said excitedly, bending down to hug him, "did you enjoy it?" She gave him a kiss on the forehead. "And what have you got there?" 

"It was very beautiful," Tyelperinquar said, looking up into her eyes, and then brought out the rose from behind his back. The large ruby, carved in the shape of an exquisite rose, shone brightly under the stage lights, and the emerald leaves set it off to perfect effect. 

Héruminyë gasped with delight. "Is that for me? Oh, Tyelpë!" 

"And there are no thorns at all!" Macalaurë said with a grin, setting the other flowers aside and coming to look. Both continued to exclaim over the rose with delight for some time while Tyelperinquar blushed harder and harder. 

Fëanáro peered through the curtains at the family-only show being enacted. "He's not too young," he said at last to Nerdanel. "You're never too young to do something you love."

**Author's Note:**

> mírenya = my precious, my jewel
> 
> I have substantially simplified the process, but yes, artificial gemstones, [particularly rubies](http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Synthetic-Ruby.html), are indeed a thing.


End file.
